Shkendija 1 Tottenham Hotspur 3 Europa league qualification round

 

Shkendija 1 Tottenham Hotspur 3 Europa league qualification round

What a carry on those Europa league games are, or I should say the TV link to those games. My link kept cutting in and out, and then it was behind the actual live match.  The announcer's voice was well in front of the game that was on. What a fiasco.

My son phoned me yesterday, and he asked me how I was doing, I responded by saying that I should be out there watching the match, instead of sitting behind a computer screen and trying to get the picture to work. Now we have learnt that it could be until March before we see another live game. Some clubs are not going to survive. Some fans aren't even going to survive, how it affects ones mental health.

To the match; Jose Mourinho successfully complained to Uefa about the size of the goalposts before the game against Shkendija in North Macedonia. Hart and Mourinho weren't going to have any of their cheating or palaver; a Uefa delegate confirmed that they were 5cm smaller. So the Tottenham camp demanded that the goals were to be replaced by proper ones. A small victory before the game had even started. Shkendija's own stadium was not used as it does not meet Uefa requirements.

Anyway, once that was sorted out then goals by Erik Lamela, Son and Harry Kane earned us a 3-1 victory.

Son set up Lamela to calmly put us ahead. Joe Hart was making his debut, sadly he was beaten by a spectacular 20-yard finish by Valmir Nafiu. And I must admit it was a great goal. That goal levelled the proceedings. But you can't keep a good man down and up popped Son to shoot in the second to go 2-1 up. Kane came on in the 60^th minute to score a goal 19 minutes later.

My thoughts overall.

It was a decent performance; however, after our first goal went in, we seemed to drift off. The way we started, I thought we were going to get five or more, but then again I suppose their thoughts were to not get injured and Sunday's game against Newcastle (at the Tottenham stadium). As for the goal we conceded; to be fair on Hart, there was little he could do about the goal (it was a spectacular goal). Anyhow, despite a quiet debut, Hart made himself heard;  his voice thundered around the ground as he barked orders to his team-mates in front of him. Nevertheless, Hart has work to do if he is to displace Lloris as the club's first-choice keeper.

As for Ndombele, he seems to be settling in ok, and things could be looking up for him and Spurs.

We ended up doing what was needed, it was a clinical game, a game to bypass as quickly as possible so that we can compete in the proper Europa league competition. The players that were put out showed that Mourinho was thinking that this game wasn't going to be that difficult, but just in case, he has some hard guns on the bench.

Next up in the Europea League for us is Maccabi Haifa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the play-off round next Thursday. This is followed by Chelsea at home in the League Cup (Spurs got a through-pass without playing Orient because they were unable to field a team because of the virus). Before these games, we face Newcastle at home this Sunday.  

Best regards, Glenn.

COYS!